Okay, so it turns I want to buy some water kefir instead of the milk. Is it okay for me to use the water kefir even though I am adding sugar to it? One video suggested that I add some dried fruit to it as well. Please help. I am dairy free and trying to clear up my candida.

SUGAR-REDUCTION of ready-to-drink water kefir How much sugar does water kefir contain? you may ask. Well, there’s a good reason why I chose capital letters for sugar-reduction. The question is a concern for many individuals who wish to prepare water kefir. I receive lots of emails about this question, and the topic often comes up on my internet lists. I shall try to clarify here.

Most concern regarding sugar content of water kefir that I’ve experience, is from folks believing that because a reasonable amount of sugar is used for water kefir, then water kefir must contain a large amount of sugar. Folks on an anti-candida diet fit this category, for sugar is recommended as a no-no for candidiais [yeast infection]. Diabetic also share the same concern. I thought the best way to demonstrate sugar percentage of ready-to-drink water kefir [a beverage fermented for 2 days with SKG], is to show a photo of my evaluation

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The thick, not-so-sweet, but quite appealing flavoured thick syrup, was extracted from water kefir by reducing ready-to-drink [strained] water kefir by boiling under vacuum. The water kefir recipe involved 6 cups water, 1/2 cup raw sugar, 1 tsp blackstrap molasses, 1/8 tsp each of eggshell and oceanic coral powder, 1/8 tsp sodium bicarbonate, prepared with 1 cup SKG brewed for 2 days. The SKG increased from 1 cup to 2 1/2 cups at day 2, which is common growth-rate with the above recipe cultured with my exceptionally good growing SKG.

We can clearly note the initial amount of sugar and the resulting reduction of more than 80% of the original sugar content. The fact is that the less-than 20% sugar left in the water kefir after a 2 day ferment, is mostly fructose, a mono-saccharide [single sugar]. Fructose is extremely easy to digest, compared to the original sucrose. We also need to consider that the residual syrup in the photo contains some water, so in effect there is even less sugar content compared to what we see in the photo. To explain again, sucrose or regular table sugar, including any sugar-type derived from sugar cane, is made up of a molecule consisting of 2 single sugars– Glucose and Fructose. This sugar is known as a disaccharide [di means 2, saccharide means sugar= two sugars]. The organisms of SKG break down the disaccharide sucrose into its 2 basic units, glucose and fructose. The grain itself is synthesized from just the glucose alone. Hence the reduction of sugar of water kefir with good growing SKG, for the grains are separated by straining the water kefir– they are not consumed, taking the glucose that the grains are made of with them. Even if SKG were consumed, they are not easily broken down if at all through gastric digestion, for the glucose that the grains are made up of is a dextran, similar to a polymer or a natural plastic that gastric enzymes are unable to break down. To conclude, we can rest assured that if your SKG are growing well, by at least 50% per each batch, then sugar reduction is just as good, and the resulting water kefir contains a much smaller percentage than what you began with. Water kefir prepared with good growing grains is quite suitable for Diabetics and those on a low carb diet. [See also FAQ 46 at my Kefir FAQ web page]http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html#alternativekefir

This does answer my question that it is okay to use the kefir grains. But this is all chinese to me right now… maybe brain fog from the die-off toxins. What exactly am I supposed to do to make the water kefir safe for me to drink while on the diet? I tried looking on the site… nothing is sinking in and it is too much information for me right now. Do you have a good recipe that is most certainly okay for someone with candida? Or is it better for me to just not drink it at all?

I have heard testimonials of folks just using basic sugar and water and having success.

Key points

The water must not have clorine. So most tap water is out. If you use tap water then boil it and let it cool. Never put your grains in boiling water. Also add a tiny bit of baking soda. like a tiny pinch per quart. Or you can boil a egg shell in the water and leave in. This brings back minerals to your water which the kefir grains thrive on. I just go get the 1 gallon jugs of mineral water. I spend 12 bucks and it last my quite awhile.

Kefir grains prefer raw natural sugar but will still ferment with processed sugar. If you give them what they perfer they give you back more grains and better quality.

No metals unless its stainless steel for a strainer. Plastic leaches into liquids so I reccomend to use glass.

the recipe I got was like the one in the video just make sure if you use lemon that if it’s not organic to remove the skin so no pesticides are introduced to your kefir.

SKG= Sugar Kefir Grains. He uses this term for water kefir grains. They are one and the same.

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